Alberto Salazar, Marathoner NOVEMBER 3, 1980

Alberto Salazar has no desire to be known as the last greatAmerican marathoner, but that's exactly what he is. His victoriesin Boston and New York in 1982 crowned a decade of U.S. dominancein the event; no U.S. man has won either race since '83. The nextyear Salazar was one of 201 American men to qualify for theOlympic trials by running 26.2 miles in less than 2:19:04. In2001 only 19 U.S. men broke 2:20. In an effort to develophomegrown talent, Salazar, 43, is working with six elite runnersin a Nike-sponsored training program known as the Oregon Project."The goal," says Salazar, "is to have Americans running at alevel to win in New York and Boston."

In the early 1980s nobody ran at a higher level than Salazar, aformer NCAA cross-country champ who won New York in the firstmarathon he entered, set a world best of 2:08:13 in the secondand didn't lose for more than two years. Cuban-born, raised inMassachusetts and a graduate of Oregon, he was brashly confident,backing up his words with gritty performances and a dedication totraining that had other world-class runners shaking their heads.

As rapid as Salazar's ascension was, his mysterious decline waseven faster. He never won a marathon after New York in 1982 andspent the next 15 years trying everything from acupuncture toProzac in hopes of regaining his form. Five years ago doctorsdiscovered that a case of bronchitis from '83 had precipitatedasthma and that Salazar's lung capacity had diminished by 40%."My breathing got worse every year," he says. "There was reallynothing I could have done about it."

Despite his condition, Salazar attained one more moment of glory,winning the 1995 edition of the famed Comrades Marathon, a53.75-mile race between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, SouthAfrica. He walked away from competition after that and todayworks in marketing for Nike, with an office in the Mia HammBuilding. "I've worked in Michael Jordan and John McEnroe," hesays, "but never in Alberto Salazar." He and his wife, Molly,have three children: Tony, 19, will be a redshirt freshman widereceiver at Oregon in the fall; Alex, 18, will be a freshman atPortland, where he will play soccer; and Maria, 11, likes ridinghorses. "She's my last hope for a runner," Alberto says.

In addition to his work with the Oregon Project, Salazar alsoserves as a boys' track coach at Portland's Central CatholicHigh, an inner-city school. "I don't think I ever reached myphysical peak," he says. "We know so much more now. That's whyit's exciting for me to work with these young guys. I can't goback."

--Mark Beech

COLOR PHOTO: JERRY COOKE (COVER) Once unbeatable in the marathon, Salazar is working to restore American fortunes in the long run.COLOR PHOTO: RICH FRISHMAN [See caption above]